Movie News

REVIEW: God's Pocket

Phillip Seymour Hoffman is the main reason to see this film. It’s one of his last roles. “Mad Men” star and sometimes “Mad Men” director John Slattery hired a strong cast for his film directorial debut. This dark comedy is set in a boozy, blue collar, close-knit community, where everyone knows each other’s business.

John Turturro is fun as a small-time criminal friend of the often drunk Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who is married to Christina Hendricks , who is wooed by a newspaper columnist played by Richard Jenkins. See- great cast, right???!!

The film begins at the funeral of Christina Hendrick’s son, a racist, foul-mouthed punk who is killed on the job by an older Black man he had bullied. The co-workers protect their bullied brother, insisting it was a workplace accident.

The acting is fine but the characters , for the most part, have no back story. And the dead-body-that-falls-out-of-a-truck bit is overused .

It’s worth seeing, just for Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who is much missed. He really was one of a kind. But you can wait for the DVD.